Something Different
by edwforever
Summary: A new girl named Eve has arrived at Derek and Casey's high school. She, unlike many of the other girls at school, has not fallen for Derek's charm, which drives him mad. What will happen? Rated T for language and just in case of other things. R
1. Chapter 1

**Life With Derek Fanfiction-**

**Something New**

By Emily Wells

**Chapter 1**

"8…17…35…Damn it! Why the hell won't my locker freaking open? Maybe it just goes with the territory of being a new girl…." a female voice muttered angrily to herself. She sighed, and rolled her eyes at herself. _No point in whining. It's not like I'm getting any help anytime soon,_ she thought to herself, hitting her locker.

Amazingly, her locker flew open. She raised an eyebrow, since the sight was familiar to her, since her locker at her last school was exactly the same way. All she had to do to open the locker was hit it. Though she'd always pretend she'd have to add her combination and do other things to get it open, so no one would try to break in.

She shrugged, and shoved her backpack in the locker. She noticed how empty it seemed. She had a feeling that it'd look a heck of a lot less empty within a week, since she was definitely not as organized as she led people to believe.

Who was this girl? Eve was her name. Eve Midnight, to be exact. Whenever people found out her last name, they'd usually question it. It wasn't her fault that she had that last name, though. She really didn't care what people thought of it, though. She didn't really ever usually care what anyone had to say about her. She felt their opinion on her didn't matter as much as her own opinion of herself mattered.

She tucked a strand of her long, black hair behind her right ear, and reached into her backpack, which she had forgotten to zip up, to pull out a mirror that would stick to her locker. That was the only thing she would usually put up in her locker, since she didn't think it was necessary to go all out in decorating a locker you'd only have for a year.

She looked into the mirror, and checked her icy blue eyes. She had put on some eyeliner that morning, and had thought she had done a pretty bad job, since she was in a rush. But when she looked in the mirror that time, it looked a lot better than it did before. She shrugged, not finding it all that important. She then took the books she needed for the day out of her locker, and shut it.

She spun around and stepped forward, and ended up bumping into someone, sending the both of them crashing to the ground. Apparently she had gotten into the person's way.

She quickly sat up, gathered her things, and helped the other person get their things. The two stood, and faced who they had bumped into.

In front of Eve, was a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She was about Eve's height. "I'm sorry I bumped into you. It was my bad," Eve said quickly.

"No, it was my bad, I'm sorry," the girl said. "I'm Casey, by the way."

"We should probably just say that it was both our faults and get it over with," Eve said. "And I'm Eve."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I mean, I didn't enjoy falling, and I'm sure you didn't either, but, I think you get my point, right?" Casey asked with a laugh.

Eve nodded and laughed a little as well. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said, brushing off her pants.

"So, are you new here?" Casey asked. "Because I haven't seen you around here before. And I see you barely have any books or anything."

"Yeah, I'm new. It really sucks that I am, since I always seem to be unlucky in certain places when I'm the new girl," Eve said.

Casey nodded. She understood Eve's problem. She had faced it once herself, when she was new here.

"So, do you think you could help me around with finding my classes and stuff? Because when it comes to finding things like classes, I'm so not observant," Eve said with a laugh.

Casey laughed as well, and nodded. "Yeah, I can help you with that. Let me see your schedule."

Eve nodded, and showed Casey her schedule.

Casey looked over it, and said, "Well, you're in luck. We have the first three periods together. And most of your classes are all near each other. Apparently, you don't have as bad of luck as you claim you do."  
Eve shrugged, and said, "Well, alrighty then." She took her schedule back from Casey, and the two headed for their first period.

On the way there, they soon ran into Emily, one of Casey's friends.

"Hey Casey," Emily said in a cheery voice with a bright smile.

"Hey Em. You seem a little unusually happy today," Casey said with a smile, but a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, it's just because…Whose this?" Emily said, stopping in mid-sentence to look at Eve.

"Oh, I'm Eve," Eve said, introducing herself.

"Eve and I accidentally bumped into each other in the hall, and we got to talking and stuff," Casey said.

"Oh, well, I'm Emily. It's nice to meet you," Emily said, still holding her bright smile.

Eve nodded, and said, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"So, Em, you were going to tell me why you were so unusually happy, right?" Casey asked.

"Oh, yeah. It's because I passed by Derek in the hall today, and he smiled at me. Or, at least, I think he smiled at me. He might've been smiling at some girl that was behind me or something, but it really doesn't matter, since he was smiling in my general direction anyway, and you know how giddy I get when he does that, especially if he talks to me or just says hi in my general direction or whatever. Oh, and he also laughed about something, and you know how I love his laugh. It made me smile. I don't know what he was laughing at, but…" Emily chattered away, but was interrupted by Eve.

"Um, who's Derek?" Eve asked. Casey hadn't told her about Derek yet, so she had no clue who Emily was babbling about.

"Oh, Casey didn't tell you? Derek Venturi's her step brother, and he's the most popular guy in school," Emily said. "He's a total hottie," she added.

"But he's a total jerk, so, trust me when I tell you not to go after him. He's not worth it," Casey said.

"Well, I'll just have to see for myself," Eve said. She liked to get her own opinions on people before she officially started to believe other people's opinions.

Casey sighed, but nodded. Then the three of them headed for their first period, which Eve had found out that Emily also shared with her and Casey.

On the way, though, Eve accidentally tripped herself with her jean bottoms, and fell to the ground with a loud slam with her books hitting the floor.

She groaned, and sighed, starting to grab her things, then once she had everything, standing up.

"Oh, great, we have yet another Klutzilla we have to watch out for," a male voice called out, causing laughter to erupt in the hallway.

Eve turned to her left, to stare at the face of the one who had said that. She ended up being face to face with the infamous Derek. She didn't realize who he was at the moment, though, so she retorted to his comment, "At least I have the guts to trip in front of people and not be embarrassed. Oh, and at least I don't go making fun of people while hiding my own insecurities."

Derek raised an eyebrow, and said, "You don't even realize who you're talking to you, are you?"

Eve thought for a moment. She then realized that it was probably Derek. Especially since Emily was whispering loudly behind her, "I can't believe she just said that to Derek!"

"Let me take a wild guess here. Derek Venturi?" Eve asked, staring straight into his brown eyes, locking in a glare.

"Wow, you're a lot smarter than you look," Derek said, a smirk appearing on his face.

"And _you're_ a lot dumber than _you_ appear," Eve said, giving him a smirk right back in his face.

Derek merely rolled his eyes, and said, "Remotely good comeback, for an amateur. Just wait, you'll learn what you're up against, coming to this school and facing me." He then leaned to her ear, and said, "I'd suggest you giving up any chance trying not to give in to me."

She rolled her eyes, and leaned to his ear and whispered, "Not a chance, you ass."

They merely backed away from each other, and smirked, both turning around and walking in opposite directions.

_ Apparently, I'm now at war with Derek Venturi,_ Eve thought, smiling to herself. This year was definitely going to be more interesting than she thought it would be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"I told you he was a jerk," Casey told Eve when they were standing at Eve's locker before they headed to lunch.

"Yeah, you did tell me that. I find him more annoying than jerky, though," Eve said.

"Well, he does have that tendency," Casey said. "You know, I'm a bit surprised at him."

"Why?" Eve asked, putting her books in her locker, then shutting it.

"Because, knowing Derek, he'd flirt with a girl like you, rather than make fun of you," Casey said, as the two headed to lunch.

"What do you mean by 'a girl like me'?" Eve asked.

Emily quickly joined the other two, as she had done many times before during that day, and answered for Casey, since she had caught part of their conversation. "Well, Derek is the type of guy that would like a girl that looks like you. I mean, you're really pretty, you know. I heard a couple guys talking about you and how hot they think you are in World History today. And, you've only been here a day, mind you," she said.

"I'm sure I just made an impact and made myself quickly known by being the only girl unafraid to stand up to the great Derek Venturi," Eve said. "Maybe people marvel at the fact that I took a chance and did something no other girl, besides Casey, since they're related, would do."

"That's a possibility, I suppose. But still," Emily said. "He's gone after girls like you tons of times, and each time he's gotten the girl."

"Well, he's not getting this girl. I'm not going to fall for that charm of his," Eve said.

"I guess it's too late for Em, though," Casey said.

Emily scoffed, and punched Casey in the arm.

"Hey! I was just kidding!" Casey said. The three girls then began giggling. They all knew what Emily had done was funny.

They soon reached the lunch room. This was Eve's first day here, so she had no idea whether the school food was good or not. So, she had been safe to just bring some money so she could buy some food out of the vending machines.

She went and bought a bag of chips and a coke, and waited for Casey and Emily to get their food before they all went in search of a table.

Eve eventually managed to spot a table, and she and the other two darted for it.

Of course, who was to sit there before them but Derek and his buddies, one of them being Sam.

"Oh, great, just what I need, another face-to-face with Derek "The Ass" Venturi," Eve muttered, rolling her eyes.

"What was that?" Derek asked, looking to Eve, smirking at her as he had done before, in their first encounter. Eve had figured that was a trademark move of his.

"It's nothing of importance to you," Eve said, starting to turn around.

"What? Are you afraid you're going to hurt my feelings? Or are you just too scared to admit for bad things you've said or done?" Derek asked. Eve pictured his smirk still held on his face.

Eve rolled her eyes, and turned around. "I'm not afraid of anything about you, Derek Venturi. And why the hell would I care if I hurt your feelings?" she stated.

"Because you know how much you are secretly in love with me. Like every other girl at this school," Derek said, causing Casey to whisper an "Ew, you sicko!" He sighed, and said, "Well, everyone but Casey."

"Oh please. Why would any girl fall for you? You're arrogant, an ass, and on top of all things, you're ugly as hell," Eve said, narrowing her eyes.

"Aw, look at that. She's narrowing her eyes at me. You're really hot when you're mad at me, you know," Derek said, still holding that infamous smirk.

"If I'm so hot, then why don't you get your ass off of that seat over there and show me just how hot you think I am?" Eve said, letting her narrowed eyes return to normal.

She sat her tray down on the table, and held out her arms. "Come on. If you think I'm so hot, and if you think you're so fantastic, and if you think that you can get any girl you want, then I'd like to see you try," she said.

Emily walked over to Eve and whispered, "What the heck do you think you're doing? You're going to make a fool out of yourself, I just know it!"

Eve rolled her eyes, and said, "Emily, trust me, it won't be me that will be making a fool out of themselves. Just wait and see."

Emily sighed, and went back to Casey's side. There was just no convincing Eve that what she was doing was a little too daring to be normal.

Derek smirked, and started to stand up, but Sam pulled his arm. "Dude, what are you doing? You're going to make yourself look totally stupid!" he whispered.

Derek merely shook his head, and said, "Trust me, she'll be the one looking stupid." He then stood, and walked around the table to the other side, and stood to the side of Eve.

Eve turned to face him, her eyes now narrowed again. "Why do you think you're so amazing, huh? What's so good about you?"

"Well, that'd be a question you'd have to ask one of the many girls I've dated, considering I'm sure they have a better, more, shall I say, descriptive and creative way of describing what's so good about me than I do," Derek said with another smirk.

"Ugh, you're such a disgusting freak," Eve said, stepping forward slightly, getting more in his face.

"At least I'm a disgusting freak that gets more dating action than any other guy in the school," Derek said, stepping in a little closer as well, getting in her face.

"That just makes you an idiot, dating all those girls. You'll never have a true stable relationship with anyone," Eve said, stepping in a little closer, getting in his face even more. She was now staring directly into his eyes. They were a gorgeous brown color. That made Eve suddenly want to melt. But she didn't let it show. She just couldn't.

"Who says that'll get you anywhere in life?" Derek asked, stepping in closer. Their foreheads where now touching.

"Everybody, you idiot," Eve said, stepping closer. Their noses now touched. Eve felt her breathing start to get lighter. He was starting to take her breath away…

_No. I'm not going to fall for Derek Venturi. No way am I falling for Derek Venturi. It's just not going to happen. Never,_ she thought, not letting him see that her breathing was getting light.

"You think you're so smart. If you were really so intelligent, then you would've known how to win this fight a long time ago," Derek said, stepping in closer. Their lips were almost together.

"Nothing can be won with you, what with you always whining and bragging and everything," Eve said, moving her face in closer. Her lips brushed his lightly.

"That's my strategy, and it always works," Derek said. Their eyes were connected. Eve tried to look away, but their gaze was intense. Derek and Eve moved closer, as if they were about to kiss…

The lunch bell rang as loud as it could, interrupting the almost-kiss. They stepped away from each other, and just stared at each other for a minute. It was almost a perfect moment…Until Derek just had to make a remark. "I suppose we'll have to finish this fun event later, eh?" He smirked, and winked at her, before turning to his friends, following them out of the cafeteria.

Eve narrowed her eyes, but said nothing to him. Not just because she was mad, but because she still couldn't breathe properly.

Casey and Emily approached her. "What the hell was that about?" Emily asked.

Eve rolled her eyes, and said, "That was to psych him out, Em. And I think it did. Don't worry, it's not like he and I are getting together. I wouldn't want to get together with that freak in a million years. You can have him all you want."

Emily nodded, and sighed. Casey sighed as well.

The three of them threw their food away, and headed out of the lunchroom, heading for their lockers, then to their next classes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I think Em got seriously jealous of you today," Casey said to Eve over the phone. She was lying on her back on her bed at the time. It was after school, and Eve had called her so they could just chat for awhile.

"Why is that? Was it just because of Derek?" Eve asked. She was leaning against the backboard of her bed.

"It was because of how close you got to Derek. She seriously thought you two were going to kiss. I'm sure everyone else in the cafeteria thought the same thing. Especially those girls who love Derek just as much as Em does," Casey said. "I even thought you two were going to kiss."

"Ew! Why the hell would I kiss I guy like him? I mean, seriously. He's an ass, and you should know by now that I don't date asses, thank you very much," Eve said.

Casey laughed. "Yeah, that's true, I guess. Apparently you two are both really great actors or something," she said.

"Apparently so," Eve said, now lying flat on her back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, twisting a strand of her hair in her fingers.

"So, why are you so into going after Derek, anyway? Why do you try to challenge him, while every other girl at the school wouldn't? I mean, other than me, considering I'm his step sister that despises him," Casey asked.

"Well, for one thing, I believe he deserves it. He deserves to have someone dare to challenge him, and not be afraid to make sure he crumbles beneath that someone that challenges him," Eve explained.

"I know what you mean. I've always felt that way, but, he's just so cunning. I don't have the ability to think of something witty the way you do," Casey said.

"I'm sure you can think of something, you just have to work at it," Eve said. She had to do have the same ability at her old school, where everyone seemed to like to challenge each other with everything.

"Eh, with Derek, I find it to be too much work, so I just don't bother with him," Casey said.

"I understand what you mean. He seems to be constantly on his toes when it comes to challenging people, especially in a situation like the one I had with him today at lunch, as you observed," Eve said.

"Yeah, that's pretty true," Casey said.

A knock on Casey's door made Casey tell Eve to hold on.

Eve said okay, and waited, staying as quiet as she could, so she could hear what was going on on the other line. She swore she could hear Derek's voice. She then heard Casey start to make a comment. They were arguing about something. Or, they were starting to.

"Oh, you're talking to Eve, eh? Let me talk to her real quick. I have a few things I'd like to say to her," Derek said.

"Not a chance. You need to just leave her alone. I mean, after all, I wouldn't want you to get crushed, as I'm sure you will be if you continue to try to challenge her with your charm, trying to get her to fall for her. She won't fall for an ass like you, you know," Casey said.

"Oh, if I was trying to get her to fall for me, I'd have way easier ways of doing it, you know," Derek said. This was true, on his part.

"Oh, please. I'm not stupid. You're trying to get her on your side, like you do with every other girl. You can't stand to let any girl other than your step sister not be totally in love with you," Casey said.

"I wouldn't want a girl like her to fall for me, anyway! She's useless. She's rude. She's arrogant!" Derek said.

_She's a lot like you,_ Casey thought, smirking.

"What the hell are you smirking about?" Derek asked.

"Would you two quit fighting? We can hear you from downstairs!" Nora called up from downstairs.

"Tell Derek to leave me alone, and then we'll quit fighting!" Casey called out.

Derek rolled his eyes, and said, "You're not worth wasting my energy on." He smirked, and turned, walking back to his room, shutting the door loudly behind him.

Casey rolled his eyes, slamming her door, then going back to the bed, and saying, "Sorry Eve. I had to deal with a Derek problem."

"What in the world were you two arguing about? I only caught a few words here and there. All I could tell was that you were telling him that he wanted to get some girl to like him, and he retorted back something to defend himself," Eve said.

"It was just some girl at school. It's not a problem anymore," Casey said. "Or, it shouldn't be."

"Oh, okay," Eve said. "So, how are things going with you and Sam?"

"They're the same as usual. We're still just friends right now," Casey said. "We haven't started dating again. We both know we'd end up breaking up a week later anyway, then get back together again, on and off, on and off, just like before."

"But you're still pining for him, right? I know that you still like him. I've seen the way you look at him in the halls when we pass by him. And I've seen the way he looks at you. You two seriously look like you are both missing being together," Eve said.

"I think it's just better that he and I stay split for a little while longer. I don't want any more complications in my life. I already have the Derek problem, and I don't want to have to deal with any other problems," Casey said.

_There it happened again,_ Eve thought. _Derek entered another one of my conversations, even when I changed the subject away from him._

Every single conversation she had ended up talking about Derek, or mentioning Derek in some way. She had no idea why every conversation went in that direction. It's not like he was the most important thing in her life, after all. He was just a person. _A jerky, arrogant, asshole-type person, that is, _Eve thought.

_Maybe it's just because he's so popular, that he shows up everywhere, _Eve thought. _Either that…or I'm falling for Derek…Wait, why would I fall for him? Why would I fall for Derek Venturi? He's just so horrible…though it doesn't hurt that he's really hot…wait, no, I can't think that…No. I don't. I just don't…_

"Eve? Eve, are you still there?" Eve's thoughts had been interrupted by Casey asking if she was there. Apparently, Eve hadn't said anything for quite awhile, so Casey had worried that she had hung up or something.

"Huh? No, I'm still here. I'm just thinking, is all," Eve said.

"Oh, okay. For a second there, I thought you hung up or something," Casey said.

"No, I'm not that rude," Eve said. "I wouldn't hang up without warning."

Casey nodded. She heard her mom calling her downstairs for dinner. "Listen, I've got to go down to dinner. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" she said.

"Yeah, okay. Bye," Eve said. Casey said her farewell as well.

The next day, Eve, Casey, Emily, and Derek were all in science, one of the few classes they all shared.

Eve and Casey had been passing notes to each other, talking about some random things, and then about the assignment they were to be doing. It was a total drag of an assignment idea, and it bored them both to death.

At one point, Eve had passed the note to Casey, waiting for her to write back. She waited awhile, and noticed that Casey hadn't bothered to write back yet. She had noticed the teacher looking to the two of them, so she figured Casey didn't want to get caught, which was understandable. She decided she'd start paying attention to the lesson being taught, since it'd probably pay off later.

Later during the period, though, she felt something hit the back of her head. She turned around, and saw a crumpled piece of paper lying the floor. She picked it up, and looked up, to see Derek smirking at her. She narrowed her eyes, then turned around, and un-crumpled the paper, to see that he had written something on the paper.

On the paper, it read the following:

_Eve-_

_Want to finish our little event? Meet me outside in the back of the school at lunchtime. You know, the area where no one goes unless they want to be alone. If you're not there by the end of lunch, I'll know you're a lot more intimidated by me than you say you are, which will mean you did indeed fall for my charm, as does every other girl at this school does._

_Sincerely better,_

_Derek Venturi_

Eve rolled her eyes. _Sincerely better? Please. He couldn't think of anything better?_ She thought.

She looked at the note again, though, and noticed something read at the bottom:

_P.S. You still look sexy when you're mad at me._

She scoffed, and crumpled up the paper again, preparing to throw it to the trash can. But, instead, she quickly turned, and threw at Derek.

Sadly, though, he managed to catch it in his hand, since he seemed to have known what she did was coming. When he caught the paper, she scoffed again. He merely smirked at her, and winked.

She rolled her eyes, and turned back around, to face the front of the room. The bell then rang. _Great, now I've got to borrow and copy someone's notes. I sure hope I can borrow it from Casey, since I trust her more_, Eve thought with a sigh, as she gathered her things and stood up, heading toward the door, following Casey.

Just before she reached the door, Derek got in her way, and stopped in front of the door. She scoffed angrily.

He turned around, and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, was I in your way?" He then moved aside, and said, "Ladies first." Another smirk appeared on his face.

Eve rolled her eyes, and stepped out of the room.

Before she had turned a corner, Derek leaned in towards her and whispered, "Don't forget about today. I'll be waiting." He winked, and clicked his tongue.

She acted as if she didn't care, and rolled her eyes, walking past him, her shoulder brushing against his.

Once she was far enough away, her thought from the night before popped back into her mind, as she felt her breathing get light, as it had the day before when she and Derek had stood so close to each other…She could picture his dark brown eyes staring into hers, their lips almost connected in a kiss…

She shook her head. She wouldn't let herself for Derek. She just wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't let it happen. It just wasn't right.

Author's Note: Thanks for the review Serenity Rain! I appreciate it. I'm glad that at least someone is reading it, haha. I will be putting up more chapters if more people read it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Glancing at the clock constantly, Eve bit her lip as the lunch hour neared closer and closer. She didn't plan to back out of Derek's little meeting, but she was still nervous about it. She didn't totally know exactly what was going to happen. What Derek would do, or what she would end up doing. She got a little worried…

The bell rang, and she jumped a little. She sighed, and gathered her things, heading to her locker, to put her stuff away.

Once at her locker, and after she put her stuff away, she looked into her mirror in her locker. "You can do this. He's just a guy. Nothing bad will happen. Don't fall for his charm, his cool. Don't become like every other ga-ga girl at school that's completely in love with him. Just don't. You'll never be who you want to be if that happens. You want original. An original. Different from everyone else. Don't let him make you fall for him. Just don't do it," she whispered to herself. She was basically giving herself a pep-talk, to calm her nerves.

"What are you doing?" Casey said.

Eve yelped, and jumped. She hadn't seen Casey walk by her locker at all. She hadn't noticed that Casey had heard what she said.

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" Eve asked, shutting her locker.

"You were talking to yourself. Really loudly. People all around here were giving you weird looks," Casey said.

"It's not weird to talk to yourself. Plenty of people do it," Eve said, starting to walk ahead towards the lunchroom.

"Not as loud as you did it," Casey pointed out.

"Well, if people have a problem with it, it's their own problem," Eve said, shrugging.

"I suppose so, but still," Casey said. "I just don't want you to end up like I was awhile back ago, when I was the new girl."

"Trust me, I won't end up that way. I know how to make even the stupidest events that have occurred to me look cool," Eve said. "Or, remotely okay, that is."

Casey laughed, and said, "Well, I suppose I trust you with that, then."

They soon approached the lunchroom, when Eve remembered about the thing with Derek. She had to make an excuse to get away from Casey, since no one was supposed to know about it.

"Oh, darn, I forgot my lunch money," Eve said. "I'd better go to my locker and get it."

"You can just borrow some of my money, I really don't mind," Casey said.

"No, I wouldn't want to impose," Eve said. "I'll only be two seconds, I swear. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Casey merely sighed, and nodded, with an "Alright." She then headed inside the cafeteria, where she met up with Emily, and they went to get their food.

Meanwhile, Eve turned the corner, and headed for the doors that led to the outside area at the back of the school, where she was supposed to meet Derek.

She shivered a little as she stepped outside. It was chilly outside, considering it was supposed to rain. _I probably should've brought my jacket,_ Eve thought. By the time she thought about it, Derek was easily spotted by her in the distance. _Maybe I could just run back inside and get my jacket before Derek sees me…_

"Eve!" Derek called out.

_Damn it! He's seen me. Oh well, no point in going back now…_she thought with a sigh, heading towards him.

"I'm a little surprise you showed up," Derek said, with a smirk, when Eve finally arrived in front of him.

"Why is that? Do girls usually run away in fright when you tell them you want to hang with them in private?" Eve asked, pursing her lips, putting a hand on her hip. She was still a little cold, though, so she shivered a little. That seemed like a sign of weakness to her, but she didn't care if he saw.

"No, most of the time they enjoy what happens," Derek said, flashing his trademark smirk yet again.

Eve rolled her eyes. She honestly didn't think he'd be in private with too many girls, or she would've known about it by now, though she hadn't even been at the school for more than a week. "Oh please, like I'm supposed to believe that you'd be alone with any girl, or even ask any girl to be alone with you. You'd be the one to run away, I bet you," she said.

"Want me to take a chance to prove that you're wrong?" Derek said, stepping closer towards her, as he had done the day before at lunch.

"Bring it on. I know I'll always be right when it comes to knowing what's true and false about you, Derek Venturi," Eve said, stepping in closer as well.

"And why the hell do you keep calling me by my first and last name, huh? I'm just Derek, Ms. Eve Midnight," Derek said, stepping in closer again. Their foreheads were now against each other.

"Don't push it, Derek," Eve said, stepping in closer. Their noses hit each other. The sight was suddenly becoming familiar to Eve. She felt her breathing escape from her body in deep breaths. She was losing her breath, like had happened the day before, when this was happening.

This time, Derek noticed how deeply she was breathing. He looked straight into her eyes. He could see a sort of nervousness in them. He stepped closer, and whispered, "I can push it as far as I want to. There's nothing you can do about it."

Eve stepped closer. Their lips brushed against each other again. The feeling she found so familiar, and amazing…

She suddenly felt a hand on her back. It made her shiver. She looked down, and saw that Derek had put his arm around her waist, and was the one who had his hand on her back. She looked back up, right into his eyes. She managed to speak, saying, "Try me."

Derek pulled his free hand up, and placed it on her cheek. Eve leaned against it, and closed her eyes for a moment. She then opened her eyes again, and leaned forward more, never breaking her gaze from Derek's dark chocolate brown eyes…

A cell phone ring broke the two apart. Eve sighed. She recognized the ring tone. It was her phone. She reached her hand into her pocket, and grabbed it. It was Casey. Her eyes widened. Casey was probably looking for her. She looked to her right, and there Casey and Emily were, looking around in all directions for her. Thankfully, the area where Eve and Derek were was covered with trees, so they couldn't be spotted all that easily, unless Casey and Emily got closer to where the two were.

"Casey and Emily are looking for me," Eve whispered. "You'd better go, unless you want them to question you or something."

Derek nodded, and whispered, "I suppose we'll have to wait even longer for our little moment to come into existence." At that, he took his hands back to his sides, and darted off in the other direction, heading for another way to get back to the school without being spotted by Casey or Emily.

Eve let her phone ring, put it back in her pocket, and ran to where Casey and Emily were.

The minute she got to them, she got the series of questions she knew she was going to face, such as "Where were you?", "You said you'd be right back!", "Why are you out here when it's chilly?"

She answered the questions with a mere, "Sorry. Something out here distracted me and got my attention, so I had to come and check it out."

Casey and Emily questioned her response for a moment, but ended up believing her. Apparently her excuse was remotely believable, which relieved Eve immensely.

The three of them walked back inside, and by the time they got inside, the bell to end the lunch period rang loudly throughout the school halls. Eve sighed. She hadn't gotten a chance to eat. She decided she'd probably just get something from the vending machines and eat it in one of her classes where the teacher let them eat in there or something.

The three of them headed to their lockers, got their things, and headed to their math class, which the three of them shared.

All the while, Eve thought of what had just occurred with Derek. The way he had put his hand on her back, how he had put his hand on her cheek, how she had leaned against it. Most of all, she remembered how he didn't pull away, not once. She wanted him to hold her like that again. It was such an amazing feeling for her. And that final moment, before Casey's call came through, when she and Derek almost kissed…

_Oh my god, _Eve thought. _I've fallen for Derek. Derek Venturi. One of the biggest asses in the school. So unbelievably horrible in so many ways…and yet I've fallen for him…What the hell is wrong with me?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Eve? You okay? You look like you got beat up or something," Emily said, as she, Eve, and Casey stood at Casey's locker.

"I didn't get beat up, Em. I just didn't get any sleep at all last night," Eve explained.

"Why not?" Emily asked.

"Because I was busy thinking about my almost-kiss with De-…Um…I was just thinking…" Eve said, stopping herself from mentioning her almost-kiss with Derek any further. She didn't want Emily to get mad at her. She also didn't want Emily to know if she almost-kissed _anybody._ Emily asked Eve lot of questions when it came to stuff such as that.

"What almost-kiss? With who? I heard you say something with a D in the name. Danny? I'm so sure it was him. Though he's really ugly, and rude. He's totally not your type. Was the almost-kiss supposed to be accident or something? Because I know you wouldn't kiss Danny, since, as I said, he's totally not your type, and…" Emily said, her voice trailing off as Eve had leaned her head on a closed locker and looked like she was about to fall asleep. "Eve! I'm trying to ask you something!" Emily said, causing Eve to open her eyes wider, and stand up straighter.

"Sorry Em…I'm just so tired…" Eve said with a sigh. She was tired, but she wanted Emily to quit asking her questions more than that.

"Look, just ask her about it later, Em. I'm sure she's not going to bother with even attempting to answer your questions right now," Casey said, shutting her locker.

"Whatever," Emily said, sighing.

Eve merely yawned, adjusted the way she held her books, and the three of them began walking to their first period.

Lunchtime had become the time of the day that Eve had began to dread every day, and yet excitedly anticipate every day as well. And it was all because of Derek. She hated him, yet she loved him at the same time – though no one knew that she loved him, or that she was trying so hard not to. Not one person suspected her…except Casey.

Casey had noticed that, though Eve had only been at the school for less than a week, she and Derek had gotten unusually close. Derek had never seemed to hate a girl so much, yet flirt with her every day, as quickly as he did. And, either it was just Casey, or Eve did indeed flirt back in ways.

Casey had decided early on, though, not to butt in until she thought it was absolutely necessary. She had a feeling that that necessity was soon going to be coming, though, so she kept a close eye on things, though she didn't let Eve or Derek get any hint that she was suspicious of the two of them.

That day, Casey, Emily, and Eve had been sitting together at a table in the lunchroom. Casey had constantly kept catching Emily glance at Derek, which was to be expected, coming from Emily. So it was basically a normal lunch day. That is, until Derek had walked away from his table – and had started towards where Casey, Eve, and Emily were sitting.

The minute Emily saw this, she turned to Casey and Eve, and smiled, quickly asking if her hair and make-up and everything was okay. Casey and Eve had told her she looked fine.

To Emily's dismay, though, Derek only seemed to pass by the table with a smile and a wink – at Eve.

What Emily didn't see, was that Derek had given Eve a note. Eve hadn't a clue what it could've said, but she didn't want to read it there, so she'd wait.

Eve merely glared at Derek as he walked away, as she quickly stuck the note in her pocket.

Once Derek was far enough away, Emily sighed, and said to Eve, "How come I can't get him to wink and smile at me like that and you can? What do you have that I don't?"

"Don't ask me. It's not like I like him like that or anything. I happen to find him a pretty disgusting jerk," Eve said. "I honestly don't see why you're so into him."

"Are you serious? You don't see?" Emily asked.

"Well, I see why, but, seriously, he's totally not right for you. You deserve way better than him," Eve said.

"That's what I've tried to tell her for forever," Casey said. "But Emily apparently likes to ignore what we have to say… like right now, for instance."

Casey had added that last part because Derek had once again taken Emily's attention away from the group. He had gone to sit back down with his friends.

Eve sighed, and rolled her eyes. She figured this was definitely common behavior for Emily, though she had only known the girl for less than a week.

That night, which was a Friday night, Casey had invited Eve to sleep over at her house. Eve had happily accepted. She had wanted to meet Casey's family (everyone other than Derek) for awhile. She wanted to know who all those people she had heard over the phone when she and Casey would call each other were. She also wanted to talk to Derek about the note he had given her.

Earlier, before Casey invited Eve to spend the night at her house, when Eve had gotten home, she had finally opened her note from Derek. It had read:

_Eve-_

_I've never said this to anyone before, but, truth is, I've been thinking a lot about that almost-kiss we shared yesterday. And, truth is, I still want it to happen. If you feel the same, you'll tell me on Monday, or whenever the next time you see me is._

_Sincerely,_

_Derek Venturi_

When Eve had read the note, one thought raced through her mind: _How can I say no? He's just too….no, I have to say no. I'm not going to let it happen..._

After Casey had invited Eve to spend the night, Eve had soon arrived at Casey's house. She knocked on the door, a pillow and a bag of her things in her arms. Casey had said she'd provide blankets and stuff, so Eve hadn't bothered to bring a sleeping bag or anything.

She soon heard a hand turning the handle from the inside of the house, to open the door and let her in. Who would be standing there, but, of course, Derek.

When Derek opened the door and saw who it was, he flashed another of his infamous smirks. "Finally decided to give into me?" he asked.

With a roll of her eyes, she simply said, "I'm not falling into your trap, Venturi, got that?"

Derek merely continue to smirk, and said, "Trust me, you'll fall for me one day. I guarantee it."

"Whatever," Eve said with a glare.

Casey quickly sped down the stairs when she saw who had opened the door to let Eve in. She sighed, and pushed Derek out of the way of the door, so that Eve could get in.

"Hey, no need to push me. I was just welcoming the guest," Derek said, turning to Eve, giving her a quick wink.

Eve rolled her eyes again, and headed for the stairs.

Casey glared at Derek, then quickly tailed after Eve, to show her where her room was, and to introduce her to those who were upstairs.

Derek, meanwhile, shook his head, walked towards his chair, plopped down in it, turned on the TV with the remote, and mumbled, "Tonight's sure going to be interesting."

Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews, everyone! If you have any suggestions on what could happen for upcoming chapters, be sure to let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"So, how did your parents first meet?" Eve asked Casey. Eve had arrived at Casey's awhile ago, and at the moment, they were sitting in Casey's room, playing cards, listening to a little music.

"It was a blind date. I don't remember why they agreed to go on a blind date, but they did, and met each other, and they fell in love, got married, the whole shebang, basically," Casey said.

"Aw, that seems sweet. Though I honestly wouldn't want to meet the love of my life through a blind date. That'd just be too weird for me," Eve said.

"Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about that, considering you're in love with Derek, and you only had to meet him at school," Casey said.

"What?!" Eve exclaimed, her cards falling from her hands onto the floor. "Why would you think I'm in love with Derek?"

"I can see it in you whenever you're around him. You have the love-hate thing going with him. I know you do. I haven't said anything about it for awhile, considering I don't want to be nosy, but trust me, I've seen it," Casey said, setting her cards facing down on the floor, where she and Eve were sitting.

"Case, trust me, I'm not falling for Derek. I already told you, I don't fall for asses," Eve assured her, though it was a lie.

"I could be wrong, but from what I notice, I'm right," Casey said.

"Please, just trust me. I don't like him. That's Em's territory," Eve said, picking up her cards that spread throughout the floor.

Casey sighed. "All right, I believe you, I guess. Just quit doing things that'll make me think that way, or I'll know you're lying," Casey said.

Eve nodded. "All right, I promise. Now, I'm getting kind of sick of playing cards," she said.

"Ah, me too. Hopefully, dinner will be ready soon," Casey said.

And just as she said so, Nora called up "Kids! Dinner is ready!"

Casey and Eve smiled. Eve stood up, and headed for the door, while Casey turned off her music, then followed Eve.

For dinner that evening, they were having pasta. Tons of different kinds of pasta. Eve's dream dinner, basically. She was a pasta freak. Any sort of pasta, she'd eat.

Eve took the empty seat beside Casey. On the other side of her was Lizzie, Casey's little sister, whom she had already met an hour earlier, along with Edwin and Marti. She had also met Nora and George.

"This is so amazingly delicious, Nora," Eve said. "Best meal I've had all year, I swear to you."  
Nora smiled, and said, "Well, thank you very much. Feel free to dish up as much as you want. There's plenty to go around."

Eve nodded, and smiled, feeling free to do just as Nora said.

"So Eve, Casey told me that you like sports. Is that right?" Lizzie asked.

Eve nodded, and said, "Yeah, I love sports. Soccer , especially."

"I'm the captain of my soccer team," Lizzie said with a proud smile.

"Really? Sweet! That must mean you're just fantastic. I'm sure you could whip my butt any day," Eve said matter of factly. "The only sport I'm remotely good at is, like, hockey."

"Smerek's on his hockey team!" Marti said.

Eve raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Really? Is he any good?"

"Yeah, he's the best on his entire team," Marti said. "Or so he tells me all the time."

Eve rolled her eyes, and smiled. Typical Derek attitude, parading around and telling everyone how great he is.

"I bet you could beat his butt at hockey any day, though," Edwin said, with a smile.

"Aw, really? I feel the same," Eve said, smirking at Derek.

"Her? Please, she'd never be as great as me," Derek said, smirking right back.

"Well, then, we'll just have to put that to the test someday soon," Eve said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess we will," Derek said, doing the same as Eve.

Casey sighed. She expected Eve to challenge Derek at some point during the time she spent over here. She just didn't expect it to happen over dinner.

"Well, Derek may be great at sports, but I happen to be a great dancer," Edwin said, with another smile. Apparently, he was really trying to impress Eve, since he had a slight crush on her.

Eve smiled, and said, "Oh, really, you are? Well, we'll just have to see now, won't we?"

Edwin smiled a little more, and blushed that boy blush of his.

Lizzie giggled, remembering Edwin's first comment on seeing Eve. He had whispered to Lizzie "Man, where the heck did Casey meet the woman of my dreams?"

Eve smiled again, and continued eating her food.

After dinner, Casey and Eve had traveled back upstairs, and were now in Casey's room.

"You know what? I think Edwin has a crush on you," Casey said, as they danced along with the music she was playing loudly.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that. He was trying oh so hard to impress me. It was absolutely adorable," Eve said with a giggle.

"I've never actually seen him talk to a girl as he did with you tonight. He even had this little boy blush going on for him," Casey said.

"Really? I figured he'd use some of the charm he attempted to use on me tonight on all the girls," Eve said.

Casey shook her head. "No, he's not very good with trying to talk to girls, unlike Derek. Half the time, I don't even see how those two are related. Then I observe their similar grotesque behavior, and it hits me," Casey said, with a disgusted face.

"How grotesque are we talking? Like, burping-at-the-table grotesque, or I-eat-my-toenails-straight-off-my-foot grotesque?" Eve asked.

Casey couldn't help but laugh. "No, they're somewhere in between there. If they were so disgusting that they ate their toes, I'm sure they'd be receiving medical help right about now."

"Yeah, I guess that's pretty true," Eve said with a giggle.

The CD they were dancing to ended, and Casey walked over to her stereo. "What do you want to listen to now? I'm up for anything, pretty much," she said.

"Well, I brought some CDs, if you'd like to listen to them," Eve said, walking over to her bag with all of the stuff she'd brought for spending the night.

"Sure, what do you have?" Casey asked, taking the CD that was in the stereo out and putting it in its case.

"Um…let's see…I have Uncensored," Eve said. "You know, the band, not stuff that's actually uncensored."

Casey rolled her eyes, laughed lightly, and said, "That sounds fun."

Eve nodded, and gave Casey the CD. Casey, in turn, put it in the stereo, and turned it up louder than she had her other music. The song that blasted was "California", one of Uncensored's more well known songs.

Eve smiled, and started to move to the music. Casey ended up moving as well, and soon they were dancing like idiots. It was a blast.

Later, after they'd gone through tons of CDs, Casey and Eve had gotten wiped out, and were now just lying on the floor, talking about whatever came to their minds. They were obviously that bored indeed.

"So…I'm hungry again," Eve said.

"After all that pasta you ate? I figured you'd be set for life," Casey said.

"That just proves how much you underestimate my stomach, Case," Eve said with a laugh.

Casey laughed as well. "We could just go raid my refrigerator or something. I'm sure we'll have something to fill up your constantly emptying stomach," she said, standing up.

Eve jokingly glared at Casey, and stood as well. The two walked out of the room, and headed downstairs.

Once they reached the kitchen, they saw Marti sitting on the floor, painting something, it seemed.

"What are you painting, Marti?" Eve asked.

Marti looked up, and smiled. "It's a surprise. So leave until it's done."

"Well, can I have permission to raid the fridge first before I leave?" Eve asked.

Marti paused, then rolled her eyes, and said, "Fine, but make it quick."

Eve nodded, and said, "Yes ma'am, I will do just that."

Casey giggled, as did Eve, and the two went to the fridge. They ended up finding some ice cream in the top compartment of the fridge, which was the freezer. They took it, and headed upstairs.

When they reached her room, though, Eve realized they forgot spoons. "I'll go get them, you just wait in your room," she said.

Casey nodded, and went inside her room as Eve said.

Eve sighed, and darted back downstairs, grabbing the spoons. By that time, Marti had moved her picture painting to the dining room, so Eve didn't interrupt her or get her mad.

She then headed back up the stairs, only to not see who she was walking towards, and ended up bumping into.

She fell to the ground, hitting her head. She mumbled an "Ouch," before slowly getting back up.

"Watch where you're going, Midnight, or I may just have to make you face the consequences," said a voice.

Eve sighed, and looked up, straight into Derek's eyes. She scoffed, and rolled her eyes. She then backed up, to take a good look and him. She was about to retort back, when she realized what he was wearing. Nothing but a towel, covering the necessary areas. She couldn't help but stare. She didn't want to say it, but, on top of having a cute face and amazing eyes, not to mention pretty good hair, Derek also had a super attractive body. He had muscles, and everything. Eve felt like she was going to melt to the ground.

"Um, staring much?" Derek said, breaking Eve from her dazed gaze at him.

Eve blushed, then sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, "Whatever, just don't mess with me, Venturi." She then walked past him, brushing past his bare arm with hers. (She was wearing a tank top at the time.) The feeling of his skin against hers made her breathing light again. She didn't let it show, though. She just walked past him, turned around to glare at him for a minute, catching his now pretty adorable looking smirk, and turning back around, heading for Casey's room, shutting her door loudly behind her once inside.

_My god, _she thought. _That's all I'm going to think about tonight, and probably all I think about when I see him next. God, what the hell is wrong with me? I mean, seriously, now I'm going to think about Derek even more?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Early morning the next day, about 1:00 AM, when everyone the household was still dead asleep, Eve had woken up. She decided she'd take a quick trip to the bathroom, before trying to force herself to go back to sleep. She woke up early a lot when it came to weekends, so she'd always just go to the bathroom, then go back to bed and sleep, for however much longer she thought she should sleep.

She tiptoed over Casey's legs, trying not to disturb her sleep, and walked quietly to the door. She opened it, stepped out of the room, and closed the door quietly behind her. She turned, and headed for the bathroom.

On her way, though, she heard a loud thump coming from behind her. She whipped around, and nothing was there. It was silent again. She shrugged, turned around, figuring it was just her imagination.

She took her trip to the bathroom, then, once she was all finished, she headed back to Casey's room.

On her way, though, she heard another loud thump again, and someone mumbling an "Ow.."

She turned around, and walked down the hall. It sounded like someone had tripped down the stairs or something. She decided to go see if her guess was right.

She peeked her head around the corner, and saw a dark figure standing at the top of the steps, mumbling something. It was definitely a guy's voice, so she thought about who'd be sneaking into the house at this time of night. A robber might, but Eve had learned from Casey that they kept all the valuables somewhere else that no one could reach. She thought it might be George, but Eve knew that George and Nora slept downstairs, and they wouldn't come upstairs this late at night, so it couldn't be him. She continued to think for a moment…

It hit her suddenly, She stepped out, and walked towards the figure. It was hard to see in the dark, but she definitely knew who it was now. "Derek, what are you doing up at this time of the morning?" Eve asked him.

"I don't think that's any of your business. And I could ask you the same question," Derek said to her.

Eve rolled her eyes. Her eyes had now adjusted to the dark, so she could see that he was wearing clothes he'd wear if he was going out somewhere. "I'm not the one who looks like they're about to sneak out of the house for something," she said, pointing to his outfit.

"Look, just don't mention anything, okay? I was just heading out to go to this late night pizza place to grab a slice with a couple of my friends, when I realized I forgot my money, so I came back," Derek said. "Apparently I need to be more quiet when I do these things when you're over, considering you have such good hearing."

"Good hearing? You were making the loudest thumps up and down those stairs! I'm surprised no one woke up," Eve said.

"The people in this house are heavy sleepers. Except for me, and now, apparently you," Derek said.

"Look, why are you going out this late at night, anyway? What, you can't go out for pizza in broad daylight anymore? Are you suddenly a vampire?" Eve asked him.

"It's just more exciting to go out late at night, all right? Plus, this is what guys like me do. We do things that we could get in trouble for, but never do," Derek said. "Now get out of my way so I can get my money from my room and leave. Go back to sleep or something."

"Not a chance. I'm wide awake now, thanks to you. You're not going anywhere unless I can tag along," Eve said.

"No way am I letting you come!" Derek said.

"If you don't let me come, I can always just inform your parents about where you've been at this time every weekend," Eve said, folding her arms, smirking.

Derek paused, then sighed. "Fine, you can come. But you'd better hurry and get ready. I'm not waiting for you," he said.

Eve nodded, and darted to Casey's room, Now that she knew Casey was a heavy sleeper, she wouldn't wake her up that easily. She opened the door, and opened her bag where all her clothes were. She grabbed them, along with her shoes, and a brush, and headed out of the room, for the bathroom, to get ready.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"You know, this is probably the best damn pizza I've ever had in my life," Eve said, as she and Derek were on their way back to the house.

"Well, of course it is. That's why their saying is "It's the best pizza you'll ever have in your life," Derek said, taking a bite of his pizza.

Eve rolled her eyes, and laughed. "I guess I should have figured that," she said, taking a bite of her pizza as well.

Derek laughed as well. He finished off his pizza, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Ew, what, you don't know how to have manners and use a napkin or something?" Eve asked.

"Well, I would usually have manners and do so, but because I'm walking with you, there's no point, considering I'm not trying to impress you in any way," Derek said.

"And why wouldn't you want to impress me?" Eve asked, finishing off her pizza as well, using a napkin she had to wipe her mouth.

"Because I'm not into you like that," Derek said.

"Then why'd you say and do all those things about us 'having fun'?" Eve asked.

"Because that's what I do. I've been that way for a long time. I give girls what they want, and make them love me," Derek said.

"So, you think that I wanted you to kiss me?" Eve asked.

"Well, yeah, considering it's obvious that you like me," Derek said. "I knew you'd fall into my trap, eventually."

"So, what you're saying is, you played me? You don't even like me a little bit? You just wanted me to turn into another girl who likes you?" Eve asked.

"Well...When you put it that way, it sounds bad," Derek said, sighing.

"How else is it supposed to sound, Derek? Saying that isn't going to help me like you at all," Eve said.

"That's why I usually don't tell girls why I do the things I do. They get hurt, and I really don't like seeing them that way," Derek said.

"And that's why you break up with them after a short period of time, no matter how much they like you and want to be with you?" Eve asked.

"I…I never really thought about that…They never ended up getting badly hurt because of that. They usually get over it, so I never see them hurt," Derek said.

"That's still evil of you, Derek, to lead girls on like that," Eve said. "See, that's why I don't get what so many girls see in you. Well, technically, I do see what they see in you: you're sweet to them, you're flirty, you know how to make them happy, you're hot, but, I don't see any other reason why they'd like you. Because in the end, you just break their heart. I don't see why any girl would want to go out with you after all the girls you've dumped tell them what they've been through with the whole dumping thing. They may think that they'll just win you over, unlike their friend or whatever, but they never seem to, do they Derek?" Eve said.

The two of them finally reached the doorstep of the house. Eve sat down on the step, as did Derek.

"I guess I just never really think about things like that. I mean, no one ever complains about going out with me, whether I break up with them or not. I guess I have that appeal that keeps them coming back," Derek said.

"I frankly don't see that appeal at all," Eve said. "Do you ever feel bad about breaking up with all those girls?"

"Well, yeah, of course I do. I mean, I know that they like me, so I really don't want to hurt them, so when I do, I do get upset for a little while. But then as I get over it, so do they," Derek said.

"Have you ever actually been in a relationship with a girl for longer than a month?" Eve asked.

"Well, there was this girl named Kendra that I went out with for a while, so there's her. I don't think there's been anybody else, though," Derek said. "I don't really think I've ever felt that strongly about anybody since then. Well, wait, that's not true, since I think I have found someone that I feel strongly about, now that I think about it."

"Really? Who is it? Is it Emily? Because if it's her, then I'd be a bit surprised, considering you never seem to like her, no matter how much she likes you. I mean, I know you two would probably make a cute couple and all, but I just can't picture you two ending up…"

Derek had wrapped his arm around her, waist, pulling her close to him. He placed his other hand on her cheek, and looked into her eyes. He then said, "Eve, it's you."

Eve just sat there for a moment, taking what was happening all in. She looked right back into his eyes, feeling her heart melt for him, as it had done before.

Derek leaned in towards her to kiss her. But, just before their lips reached, he asked, "If you don't feel the same, there's no point in doing this. So, do you feel the same?"

To answer that question, Eve quickly smiled, and leaned in, closing that tiny gap between their lips. No matter how much she didn't want to believe it, it was true. She really did love Derek Venturi. She smiled inside, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Derek kissed her back passionately, happy that their moment was finally happening.

Eve felt nothing but sheer bliss when she kissed him. It felt like she'd died and gone to heaven, and wasn't planning on leaving any time soon.

Just as they were getting further into the kiss, the porch light turned on, and the front door opened.

There in the doorway stood Casey, still in her pajamas, her eyes wide at the sight. She had caught them in the act.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Derek and Eve saw Casey standing there, which caused them to quickly pull apart, and look down, as if that was going to cover up what she had just caught them doing.

"Wha…Bu…You…And…I knew it! I knew you liked him, Eve!" Casey exclaimed, one of her infamous angry looks appearing on her face.

"Casey, I can explain, I-I swear," Eve said. "Spare me. You fell into his trap, just like the rest of them," Casey said.

"I didn't fall into anything, Casey," Eve said, standing up just then, looking right up at Casey. "There was no spell he put me under, or whatever it is you think your brother uses to get girls. All he did was act like the good human being I know he is inside."

"Oh, please. That's his ploy! He makes girls believe he's something that he's not, so he can win them over!" Casey said.

"You do realize I'm still here, and can hear every word you're saying, right?" Derek said.

"Stay out of this, you asshole. Any time you manipulate a friend of mine into liking you, then you have no say in any conversation we have, especially ones about you," Casey told him. "Don't call him an asshole, Casey. Until you get to know him the way I do, I don't believe that you have the right to badmouth him," Eve said.

"Eve, I've known him way longer than you have, and-" Casey began, but Eve interrupted. "The fact that you've known him longer proves nothing. Don't assume that just because you've known him longer, that you know him better than I, or anybody else, does," Eve told her.

Casey was about to retort back to Eve, but she suddenly heard a throat being cleared behind her. It sounded like…her mother.

"And what are you three doing up at this hour? And outside, at that?" Nora asked, her arms folded, a look of motherly anger on her face. Her hair was disheveled, so she had obviously just gotten up. "I just got up to go to the bathroom, and suddenly I heard yelling. So, what's going on?"

Eve's face flushed with embarrassment. This wasn't exactly something that would impress Casey's parents. They'd probably think of her as some crazy juvenile after then.

"Mom…Just don't worry about it. Trust me. We're resolving this situation on our own. I promise," Casey said.

Nora sighed, and hesitated. She knew Casey was responsible, but…Oh, she might as well trust her. "Just…All of you, get inside, and go to bed. We'll talk later," she told them, before turning around, and heading back toward her bedroom. She added a "Good night," as she left.

Casey, Eve, and Derek mumbled "Good night" to Nora. Casey stepped aside to let Eve and Derek in.

And, as soon as they were all in, they all headed for the stairs. They might as well just not fight for the time being. They were all tired. There was always the morning. Well…much later in the morning, that is.

The next day, Derek, Casey, and Eve all woke up at around noon. Apparently Nora had decided to let them sleep in, whether they really deserved it or not.

Casey was the first to wake up, but didn't move from her sleeping position on her bed. She just rested her eyes, until Eve woke up. As soon as Eve did wake up, Casey immediately confronted her again with the situation that had occurred the previous night.

"Eve, why did you lie to me about not liking him?" Casey asked, as soon as she had realized that Eve had woken up.

"Geez, Casey, I _just_ woke up. You have to bring that up right now?" Eve asked, sighing. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet.

"Just answer the question, please. If we get this conversation done with now, then we won't have to deal with it later," Casey told her.

"Look, I lied to you because I was afraid you would overreact. I was afraid you wouldn't understand. And, that's exactly what happened. Well, actually, you overreacted a little more than I thought you would, but I suppose that's because you caught me and him in the middle of quite a passionate kiss, so, under those circumstances, I'd understand why you'd freak out especially more than normal. But…yeah. That's why," Eve told her.

"I wish you just would've told me about it the first time I asked you. You could've calmly explained your side of the story. Then I wouldn't have gotten as mad as I did," Casey said.

"I know. I'm sorry, Case. I won't lie to you again, I swear," Eve promised.

"Well, as long as you promise, then I forgive you. I'm sorry for blowing up on you about it," Casey told her.

"Don't sweat it," Eve said. "Things just got out of control. We might as well just put it past us."

"Agreed. Although…are you sure you can put your feelings for Derek past you? Because, you seem to really like him," Casey said. "And by the looks of it, he likes you a lot, too."

"Well…I really don't know. I mean, I kind of want to continue maybe forming a possible relationship with him, to see if it would last, but then again, if we did, and he broke up with me too soon, I'd be left heartbroken, and I really don't want that, so…" Eve said, frowning.

"I honestly think you should find someone new. Derek is definitely not the right type of guy you'd want to be with," Casey said. "He's not exactly the most loyal boyfriend on the planet. Ask Kendra, she'd tell you loads of stories where he wasn't such a great boyfriend."

"I know he doesn't appear to be a good boyfriend in your eyes, but, that's because you're his stepsister. You've never dated him, so, you don't really know for sure," Eve pointed out. "You're just basing your advice on your opinion on Derek." "That and the things I've observed, and things I've heard from many of his previous girlfriends," Casey added.

"People change, Case," Eve said. "And I'd like to believe that he is one of those people. I would also like to believe that you'll support me if I attempt to pursue a relationship with him."

Casey pursed her lips, clearly hesitant to support her friend in what could be a path that would spiral downward faster than she could imagine, but said, "I suppose if you're really into him, and I can't stop you, I might as well support you." "Thanks Casey," Eve said with a small smile. "Now I just have to worry about how all this news will affect Emily, should she find out."

"Hate to tell you this, but I have a feeling she won't take it well," Casey told her. "But I'm sure I can help her cope. Maybe find her a new guy to giggle about every time he walks past her."

Eve laughed as the picture of Emily's snorting giggle popped into her brain, then said, "Yeah, I'm sure we could find someone great for her. And maybe then she won't hate me forever."

"Ahh, she would never hate you forever. Just seriously dislike you forever," Casey said with a smile.

"Gee, thanks for being so reassuring," Eve said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Things will be fine, no sweat," Casey assured her.

"Not if I don't get some food in my system. Pizza at four in the morning does not suffice as breakfast," Eve remarked, shuffling her way out of her sleeping bag, heading to the door once up.

Casey chuckled, then followed Eve out the door, heading downstairs to eat.

Author's Note: Well, there's an update. I've had it done for many months, just haven't posted it until now, my apologies. I personally dislike this chapter. And now that I've gone back to reread what I've written so far, I believe I'm going to go back and edit previous chapters. Reviews are loved, as always.


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